Joe Strechay

With Valentine's Day upon us, I am preparing for a very special day, as it is my first one married to my beautiful and intelligent wife, Jen. In honor of this day, I am going to tell you a little about how we met. If you have seen the commercials for eHarmony and other online dating sites, you may have heard that 20 percent of all people getting married today met through online dating sites or through social networking. This really isn't news to me—I knew people who met their spouses online…

I saw a story on CNN recently about a student who is visually impaired who learned how to use a chainsaw. I think this illustrates that many are not aware of what people who are blind or visually impaired are capable of. I can say that I am legally blind, with less than one percent of my vision—I have used a chainsaw. I also help my father-in-law in the spring and summer doing hay. This entails collecting bails of hay, throwing them on the back of a truck, stacking, and then putting them in a…

*Formerly known as the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute It's time to register for AFB's annual conference, and although it takes place May 4-5 (with a preconference day on May 3) at the fabulous Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, FL, it isn't just palm trees, beach, and sunshine. AFB has teamed up with some amazing partners in the state of Florida, including the Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). In addition, we will have…

February 1st is nearly upon us. You may be wondering, "What's the significance of that?" Well, it is not Groundhog Day. That is February 2nd. It is not Valentine's Day. That is February 14th. Nor is it Presidents' Day, which is February 20th. It will be Digital Learning Day, a nationwide celebration of online learning, technology, and educational systems. The celebration honors the great innovation that has been made in the delivery of educational content via webinar, webcast, podcast,…

Perhaps by now you've heard about the South African burger chain, "Wimpy," cleverly promoting their braille menus. It really is pretty neat—they've created braille text on their burger buns using sesame seeds. The braille spells out phrases such as "100% pure beef burger made for you." The sesame seeds were placed on the buns prior to baking using tweezers. These special buns were given to 15 people who are blind or visually impaired from three local organizations. According to the article,…

I heard Stevie Wonder was on recently on "The View," mentioning that he is working out, losing weight, and would like to be on Dancing with the Stars (which he also mentioned back in 2008). Personally, I love the idea; we can hopefully get rid of the image of Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Al Pacino's character is told the approximate dimensions of the dance floor, then tears it up without a missing a step. Yeah, I am not buying that! I am, however, buying Stevie Wonder ripping it up on…

While attending a conference a few weeks ago, I attended a great session on self-employment, which really got me thinking. I have previously written about working from home, but haven't yet addressed starting your own business. I reached out to some friends who are self-employed, and all shared some common attributes and similar thoughts. Some things to consider: It requires working many more hours than you would in a typical 9-to-5 job. Most people (the ones I spoke with, at least) work…

It may only be November, but I am already getting excited for the AFB Leadership Conference—formerly the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute—which is paired with Florida AER and partners this year. The conference will be in sunny St. Petersburg Beach, Florida in early May of 2012. The Sunshine State holds a special meaning in my heart, as I have lived, gone to graduate school, and worked in Florida. How can you not like the beach and the beautiful Gulf Coast? Beautiful weather aside,…

Did you know that October 15 is White Cane Safety Day? If you said yes, you are correct. It has been observed on that date since 1964, with localities celebrating it throughout the country. White Cane Safety Day is about celebrating and creating awareness about the white cane and its use. I use a white cane, but I have also been an orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor. An orientation and mobility instructor is a professional who teaches persons who are blind or visually impaired how…